


Best Boyfriends Forever

by FloralEyeBalls



Category: Bandom, Fall Out Boy
Genre: ;), Andy is dad, Angst, Fluff, Happy Ending, High School AU, Joe is joe, Kid!Fic, M/M, Pete and Patrick are bffs, its mum fuck off, this was better in my head bye
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-25
Updated: 2015-08-25
Packaged: 2018-04-17 04:45:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4652811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FloralEyeBalls/pseuds/FloralEyeBalls
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pete doesn't understand that friendships can last forever, and Patrick wants to be more than friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Best Boyfriends Forever

**Author's Note:**

> how bad is that summery lol I h8 myself 
> 
> Beta'd by thestarswillfade <3

Pete was eavesdropping on two mothers outside his day care centre, while he waited for his mum to get the car seat bucked in properly. He was just enjoying an average Thursday, day care in the morning, then his mother comes and picks him up at midday for lunch at nana's. What five year old Pete didn't know was that what he overheard would affect him for the rest of his life. 

"So Macy told me that her and Lizzy aren't best friends anymore?" One of the mothers said.

"Yeah it's a shame really, I think they were just around each other too much, you know how it goes." 

"Nothing kills friendships as fast as five play dates a week I guess." She laughed.

"Nothing kills friendship as fast as Macy and her lack of personal space!" The other laughed. 

Pete wasn't sure what personal space was, but he knew that they implied that you could stop being best friends if you have too many play dates. Was that true? Pete wasn't sure what to think but he knew he wouldn't he happy without his best friend.

"Petey!" His mum called, "time to buckle you in." 

He couldn't stop staring out the window as she lifted him up and put him in his seat. What if he already had too many play dates? What if Patrick didn't want to be his best friend tomorrow? 

These questions troubled Pete so much that when they returned home that afternoon his mum sat him down and asked what was wrong. 

"Can people stop being best friends?" Pete asked, looking up at his mother with damp eyes and a trembling lip.

"Aw baby, did something happen at day care?" She asked tenderly, cupping the side of his face in her palm. Pete shook his head in reply to her question. "Well I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, anyone would be lucky to have you as a best friend! Now come on, we have to walk the dog before it gets dark okay?"

"Okay." Pete said firmly, reassured for the time being. 

Pete lost all sense of reassurance the following day at daycare. He was so worried that he and Patrick wouldn't be friends forever that he was willing to sacrifice their awesome play dates in the present, if it meant they could still be best friends when they were in high school and drove cars and did adult things. 

"Pete!" Patrick called as soon as Pete stepped into the playroom. Pete only waved in reply and then went about putting his lunch in the fridge and his backpack on the assigned shelf next to his name card. 

Patrick waddled over, smiling brightly and holding out a piece of paper wet with paints. "I made you this just now! It's a butterfly painting, we learned how to do those last week remember? And I made this one for you, it has blue and red, see? They're your favourite colours!" Patrick rambled, waving his painting around as he spoke. "Do you want to come make one with me? I saved you a spot at the paints table." 

"Thanks Trick, but I think I'm gonna do a collage for my dog first. He doesn't like paints." Pete said quietly, he really wanted Patrick to show him how to do butterfly paintings but he wanted them to be friends forever even more. 

"Oh okay, I'll do a collage too!" Patrick said, not at all put off by Pete's' change of plans. 

"No...I want to make a collage on my own. You should stay at the paints table." Five year old Pete clearly didn't have a firm grasp on subtlety yet, resulting in Patrick's very obvious hurt face. 

"Y-you don't want to play with me?" Patrick said, bottom lip already starting to tremble.

"No! I do! But I can't..."

"Why can't you? Is your mummy not letting you?"

"No it's not that, I just can't because we have to be friends forever."

"Why can't we be friends forever that do butterfly paintings together?" Patrick asked innocently.

"Because if you play together too much you can't be best friends. You kill!" 

"You kill?! Who told you that?" 

"I heard some mummies say it! That if you play too much you kill friendship and then you can't be best friends anymore."

"I don't think that's right Pete, if you play lots you don't kill friendship, that's how you make friendship and my mummy says that you can't make too much friendship." Patrick said in a very serious tone for a four year old. 

"I don't know Patty, what if we aren't best friends forever? I don't know where to find another Patrick, so you have to stay forever okay?" 

"We're gonna be best friends forever! I promise." Patrick said sternly and pulled Pete in for a bear hug, "now, do you want to do a butterfly painting or a collage?" 

"A butterfly painting please" Pete replied, wiping his eyes with his chubby fingers before linking hands with Patrick and running over to the paints table. 

 

\-----------------------------

Twelve years later Pete and Patrick are still best friends. A lot has changed, Pete has horribly dyed red hair, Patrick makes less butterfly paintings, and their 'play dates' feature a lot more guitar than crafts. But one thing that hasn't changed is Pete's' relationship insecurity. 

Not even twelve years of relatively smooth sailing can convince Pete that Patrick isn't going to get sick of him and leave. To be fair, this time the insecurity came with the help of a push from Patrick himself. 

"Patrick! If you don't get out here in five seconds we're going without you!" Pete yelled down the stairs of Patrick's basement. It was just after band practise and Joe, Andy, and Pete were waiting in the van to go for their after practise pizza date ("it's not a date! Why do you have to make everything gay?" Joe protested every time Pete said it). 

"Don't worry, go without me!" Patrick called back

"What?!" Patrick heard Pete say before the whole basement shook with the force of Pete's leaps down the staircase, "What's wrong?" Pete asked worried as he abruptly came to rest at the bottom of the stairs. 

"Nothing, I just don't really feel like it tonight." Patrick mumbled, avoiding eye contact. 

"Okay...Do you want me to stay with you?"

"Nah I'm fine, go have fun." Patrick forced a smile and watched Pete force one right back before ascending the staircase much slower than he came down it. 

Patrick breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Pete slam the door shut behind him. He was home alone for the night and truthfully, he wasn't really looking forward to it. He wished he could have gone out with the guys, but Pete was there. And Pete was the cause of most of his teenage angst right now. 

Pete and his stupid smile and even stupider need to be naked all the time. Patrick felt like everything was turning to Pete. He couldn't fall asleep at night without thinking of tan skin and questionably legal tattoos, he spent every moment around Pete terrified that he could read his thoughts. Terrified that he knew. 

It wasn't so much the being gay that scared him, it was the fact that he was gay for Pete. His best friend, how cliche. He felt like a love sick puppy every time Andy caught him watching Pete and Joe do something stupid. He was starting to feel like a love sick puppy around Pete always, that's why he just had to distance himself. Playing it off like nothing was wrong wasn't helping, so the only next step Patrick could think of was to avoid Pete until it all blows over. 

Three hours into this new plan and all Patrick could think about was Pete. What's he doing right now? I bet he's having fun. I bet he likes Joe better. Patrick wanted everything to stop. He wanted to go back to having fun with his three best friends and not feeling like a pervert every time Pete took his shirt off. If this was growing up, Patrick wanted Neverland. 

Pete was experiencing a similar problem at the pizza place with Andy and Joe, he just couldn't stop worrying about Patrick. 

"Dude, will you calm down. He's sixteen not six! He's probably just tired from school and shit." Joe said with a mouthful of cheese pizza. 

"I think he just needs a bit of a break." Andy added. 

Pete choked on his pizza. "A break?!" he coughed out. 

"Yeah, you know from like band practise, and school, and wondering the streets with you until three am on school nights. I think he's just burnt out lately." Andy clarified, but Pete didn't hear anything past "needs a break".

"Needs a break from me" Pete thought bitterly, remembering back to that time in kindergarten. 

Pete silently vowed to back off a bit, give Patrick some space. So they could be best friends forever, or maybe more...

The next day at school Pete didn't stop by Patrick's locker on the way to his, as they've done everyday since Patrick's first day as a freshman. Patrick stood at his locker for a while, a little confused before he realised that Pete wasn't coming back. He'd walked right past Patrick like they didn't even know each other and Patrick felt an exaggerated amount of hurt. 

"This is good" He told himself, "a chance to get over him." 

Pete felt off all morning, he didn't realise how much that little stop at Patrick's locker affected his day. He was grumpy and tired and it was his own fault really. But he was doing it for the greater good. 

At lunch Pete sat next to Joe before Andy had the chance to. Joe gave him a confused look but let it go quickly when Patrick arrived. Patrick stood there dumbly for a second before taking the spare seat next to Andy and across from Joe. The furtherest away from Pete he could get. He tried not to look pathetic as he silently wondered, why? Did Pete find out about his crush? Is he disgusted with him? Patrick knew it was unlikely considering he hadn't actually told anybody about his crush but it's all he could think of. 

"so...band practise today?" Joe said, trying to break the tension. 

"Um I think mum's having people over so we can't use my basement..." Patrick said, keeping his focus on his bottle of apple juice and not the disappointed faces of his friends. Or worse, the relief on Petes face when he realises he doesn't have to hang out with Patrick. 

Pete doesn't feel relief though, he feels sick. He didn't want to give up the band. Maybe it's too late to save them, Patrick's already making excuses not to hang out and it's only been less than a day. Maybe Patrick wants a break. A proper break, not just not talking so much at school. 

"That's okay, we can just hang out at mine?" Joe supplied hopefully.

"Nah don't worry, I'm sure Patrick has heaps of homework and stuff to do anyway." Pete said, staring at Patrick as he refused to look up. 

"Yeah..." Patrick said meekly. 

After that, Joe stopped any attempt at conversation for the rest of the lunch period. 

Pete couldn't even stay at school the rest of the day, he skipped and went home to sulk in peace. He couldn't face his last three classes with Patrick avoiding him. 

As he sat in his room staring at the wall and feeling sorry for himself he realised that maybe this doesn't have to be the end of his relationship with Patrick. Maybe they could talk about it and Pete could explain himself and maybe if he promised to stop doing whatever he was doing to drive Patrick away, they could be friends again. 

Patrick spent the rest of his day at school berating himself about how he could be so stupid as to fall in love with his best friend. Then he went home and cried himself to sleep thinking about how his dumb teenage feelings have not only ruined the most important relationship in his life, but now his band too seeing as Pete can't even face him enough for practise. 

The next day was thankfully a Saturday, so Patrick could stay in bed all morning sulking about his ruined life. And that was exactly what he had planned until someone knocked tentatively on his door, "Trick? Can I come in? I'll be quick I promise!". It was Pete. 

"Come in!" Patrick scrambled to wipe his red rimmed eyes and flatten out his bed head before Pete pushed the door open, "hey..."

"Hey. I um, I wanted to say I'm sorry for you know... whatever." Pete said, standing awkwardly in the middle of Patrick's bedroom. 

"What?" Was all Patrick could think to say. Why would Pete be apologising? 

"I'm sorry. For like pushing you away and being clingy and stuff. I know that kills friendships but I thought we might be the exception to the rule I guess, but we're not and if you need a break that's okay with me. I just want you to know that I'll be waiting when you're ready to take me back." 

"What...."

"Are you seriously not getting this?" 

"No-I...what?" Patrick couldn't even begin to process what Pete had just said. 

"I'm sorry for avoiding you yesterday at school, I thought you wanted me to stay away but looking back at it I think I made you think I wanted you to stay away...if that makes sense?" Pete laughed nervously, "I just want us to be best friends forever." 

"Yeah best friends" Patrick repeated a little sourly, he quickly covered it though after he saw Pete's carefully constructed smile falter, "It's okay Pete, I forgive you."

"Awesome! So best friends forever?" Pete asked and pulled Patrick into a bone crushing hug. 

Patrick hated himself for not feeling like best friends was enough anymore. 

\-------------------------------

 

Weeks went by with everything seeming okay before Patrick's feelings for Pete fucked everything up again. 

The whole band were at Pete's' eating too much junk food and watching movies they've all seen a hundred times when Patrick realised that everything was not just going to be okay. 

Pete had grabbed Patrick and pulled him onto the broken, stained, couch before anyone else even knew what was happening. "Mine!" he called, as if someone was going to fight him for his own couch and Patrick's too hot body heat all over them the entire movie. 

"Dude...chill. You're going to break Patrick." Joe observed

"It's okay he's used to it. Petes' been attached to him since birth." Andy teased. 

"We're right here!" Patrick protested.

"We know, we can see you cuddling" 

"We're not cuddling!" Patrick cried and forcibly ejected himself from Pete's' lap, ripping his arms off from around his stomach. 

"Whoa easy Patrick, I don't have leprosy!" Pete laughed with the others at Patrick's wide eyes and flaming red cheeks. 

"Shut up!" Patrick growled.

"Aw he's angry!" Pete cooed. 

"Did you forget to say no homo before you cuddled with Pete?" Joe laughed at his own joke more than anyone else, while Patrick just progressively got redder and redder. 

"Shut the fuck up!" Was all Patrick was capable of saying through his anger. 

"Guys, stop." Andy said sternly, getting everyone to immediately stop giggling and, in Patrick's case stop thinking about punching everybody. "Leave Patrick alone, you're being dicks." 

"They just are massive dicks!" Patrick replied, still too mad to think of ether insults.

"I know, come sit with me." Andy said and patted the cushion next to him on the floor. 

"Hey! I bags him!" Pete whined 

"Yeah well you lost that privilege by laughing at him when he was mad. Behave yourself or I'll take the couch off you too." Andy said, turning into a scarier version of everyone's dad. 

"Yes sir, sorry sir" Pete mocked.

"Say sorry to Patrick not me."

"Sorry Trick, it was just a joke."

"You too Joe."

"Sorry Patrick" Joe mumbled 

"Good, now start the DVD and shut up." Andy commanded and Pete and Joe followed his orders, as Patrick sat down next to Andy on the floor.

Joe and Pete immediately crammed into the tiny couch and started criticising the budget of the crappy movie they chose. 

Patrick tried to watch the movie but couldn't shake the feeling of Andy watching him, after about fifteen minutes he gave up. "What do you want Andy?" he sighed.

"Are you okay?" 

"Of course I'm okay, what are you talking about?" Patrick pretended like he cared about the movie in the hopes of shaking Andy off, "shh, I'm watching this." 

"No you're not. Patrick I think I know what you been stressing about lately and I know you need to talk about it or it's not going to get better."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Patrick squeaked, he really hoped Andy didn't know. If Andy knew maybe Joe knew too, and Pete, and they were all just making fun of him behind his back. "I-"

"Will you guys shut up? Some of us are trying to find a plot in this train wreck of a movie." Joe called to them, silencing Patrick immediately. 

"Let's talk about this in the spare bedroom?" Andy suggested.

"No...I'm watching this. I'm fine, thanks Andy"

"Patrick, now."

Patrick really had no choice but to go with Andy. He tried his best to avoid Pete's confused glance as they got up and closed the door into Pete's' spare bedroom behind them. 

"Andy I don't know what you-"

"Don't do this Patrick. I know you like Pete and I know it's frustrating for you, but I'm here and I'm willing to help as much as I can." 

"How do you know? Does Joe know? Does Pete know?!" Patrick panicked.

"Hey it's okay, no one knows. I've been noticing things for a while now but I decided I had to step in now because you're not handling it very well Patrick, I'm worried about you."

"I'm fine!" Patrick protested weakly.

"It's okay to be scared. I know this is all new to you but it's going to be okay."

"I'm not scared about being gay or anything! I'm cool with that. I'm not cool with the whole Pete thing though and it's not going away, and Petes the only one I can talk to about everything and I can't talk to him about his!" Patrick finally let it out, "I like Pete and it's ruining everything!"

"It doesn't have to ruin anything. What's ruining things is your bottled up emotions, why can't you talk to Pete about this?" 

"Are you kidding? Why can't I talk to Pete?" Patrick laughed, "because he would hate me!" 

"You don't really think that do you?" Andy asked, a little shocked.

"He would. It's gross, he's my best friend." Patrick whimpered. 

"He's your best friend. He cares about you and I don't think he'd be very happy to know he's the reason why you're this upset." 

"don't tell him!" Patrick cried 

"I'm not going to tell him, but I think you need to. This isn't healthy Patrick, and the only way to make it better is to talk to Pete. It might work out better than you expect." 

"sure." Patrick laughed bitterly.

Andy pulled him in for a quick and manly hug before they went back to join Joe and Pete in the movie room.

Pete clearly noticed that something was up, but thankfully he left his comment for later when they were alone. 

The morning after their movie night Andy practically dragged Joe out before he was even awake, clearly telling Patrick that today was the day to face Pete. Patrick felt sick. 

"So ahh...." Patrick started after pretending to be busy cleaning up after Joe for a few minutes.

"Is something wrong?" Pete asked, instantly concerned, "I saw you and Andy leave last night and when you came back you looked upset. What did he say?" 

"Nothing's wrong...I just ah, Andy was helping me get some things straight, well not straight ha, in my head and umm..." Patrick stuttered embarrassingly, he could feel heat radiating from his cheeks. He felt like he might throw up.

"Are you okay?..." Pete asked, stepping towards Patrick in an attempt to help him somehow.

"I'm fine!" Patrick insisted, backing away from Pete. Andy was right, he had to do this now, it was just getting ridiculous. "I just need to get something off my chest, and I'm sorry but I have to do it." 

Patrick sat down on the broken couch and Pete joined him a second later, keeping his distance a little this time.

"Patrick, what are you talking about?" 

"I don't know, I'm just going to blurt it out and...please don't get mad at me" Patrick pleaded.

"Why would I get mad?"

"Because um...I think you're cool and stuff, right?" Patrick was terrible at this. He was trying really, but I just wouldn't come out.

"You think I'm cool?" Pete huffed out a laugh.

"Yeah and maybe I want to...like, you know?" 

"Patrick, I have no idea what you're trying to say right now." 

"I like you!" Patrick blurted, too loud in the empty apartment, he clapped his hands over his mouth and carefully watched Petes face for a reaction. 

"You like me?"

Patrick nodded furiously, not trusting his mouth just yet. 

"Like like me?" 

"Yes! I like like you Pete! And it's driving me fucking crazy!" 

"I...what?" Pete was dumbfounded, Patrick liked him? Like liked him? This was only what Pete dreamed about since he was five years old. 

"I'm sorry!"

"You're sorry?"

"Yes, I'm sorry okay? So are you mad? Can we still be friends?" 

"Am I mad? Why would I be mad?"

"I don't know...because I'm gross and creepy." 

"You're not gross and creepy! Who said you were gross and creepy? You're beautiful and...not creepy."

"Shut up." Patrick mumbled self consciously. 

"No I mean it, you're amazing and the fact that you would like someone like me is pretty...pretty fucking unbelievable." 

"What? You're like...I don't know cool and hot and stuff. I'm like a potato with a denim jacket." 

Pete, being the bigger man here, decided to save his squealing at the fact that Patrick just said he was hot for a more appropriate time. "You're a cute baked potato with a denim jacket." 

"I'm what?!" Patrick squeaked.

"Cute?" 

"Like a puppy?"

"Yeah, but more like someone I want to kiss." Pete said and smiled hopefully at Patrick. He was breaking all his most important rule, Patrick's are friends, not lovers. But he figured it was safe if Patrick said he like liked him first. 

"You want to kiss me?" Patrick said, blushing bright red at even the thought of kissing Pete. 

"If you let me..." Pete said awkwardly, suddenly feeling less sure of himself. 

"If you want to..." Patrick said just as awkwardly. Teenagers were terrible at talking about feelings.

"I want to." 

"Cool." Patrick whispered, staring at Petes mouth as he licked his lips. 

"Okay, so..." Pete replied, trying to buy time. It's not that he didn't want to kiss Patrick, but this was his first kiss and he had no idea what he was doing. "I'll just...kiss you now?"

"Sure." Patrick agreed nervously, leaning towards Pete. 

Pete leaned forward as well and they met in the middle of Pete's ugly broken couch, Patrick couldn't make himself meet Pete's eyes before he closed the distance between them and pressed their lips together dryly. In retrospect they can both admit it wasn't much of a kiss, but at the time it was enough. 

"Cool." Pete said as he pulled away, "So do you wanna like...date or whatever?" 

"Yeah, I would love to like date or whatever." Patrick laughed. 

"So we're going to be best boyfriends forever?" 

"Best boyfriends forever" Patrick confirmed.

**Author's Note:**

> thnks fr rdng <333


End file.
